Windows Clients Do Not Receive DirectAccess Configuration Changes

A scenario can occur in which changes to the DirectAccess configuration made using the Remote Access Management console or at the command line using PowerShell are not reflected on the DirectAccess client, even after receiving the latest group policy updates. The issue occurs for DirectAccess clients that are provisioned with the Offline Domain Join (ODJ, or djoin.exe) tool.

When the ODJ provisioning package is initially created, it does not add the new computer account to the DirectAccess security group. The ODJ-provisioned client receives all DirectAccess configuration settings at the time of provisioning, but it will not receive subsequent changes to the DirectAccess configuration made after it was originally provisioned.

To resolve this issue, be sure to proactively add the DirectAccess client’s computer account to the appropriate DirectAccess security group in Active Directory after provisioning with ODJ using Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC), the Active Directory Administrative Center (ADAC), or by executing the following PowerShell command: